[attr="class","nodensright22"]

basic bio.

From a strange far away land quite unlike this one, Kotik seems like quite the outsider to everyone he meets. He's a white tom with brown patches, yellow eyes, and a very friendly disposition. He has yet to understand the way that the cats around these parts communicate, or how he fits in their world, but he's eager to learn and find a new life for himself here, now that he realizes that home is much too far away for him to ever return.
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traits.

• +benevolent
• +courteous
• +insightful
• =contemplative
• =leisurely
• =unaggressive
• -arbitrary
• -frivolous
• -passive

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personality.

At first meeting, Kotik seems to most Clan cats to be a rather odd one, especially with his manner of speaking seeming rather out-of-place. It takes a little bit of patience to chat with him, but most would find that with time that he is a very pleasant young cat who is simply not quite as adjusted to the ways of this world in comparison to the world he once knew on the streets. There is some ritualistic feeling to the way Kotik carries himself and speaks, clearly wanting to hold onto the world he once knew.
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Kotik is relatively independant and happy to be a loner, though he sees the value in Clan life as well. He likes getting to know about the ways of the strange groups of cats who live in the wilderness together, but isn't always sure he would want to follow all the strict rules they've put in place for themselves. So, instead, he tries to follow the few rules they ask of him, and lets himself slide through life happily, enjoying the peace of being a "wild" cat.
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Of course, though he often tries his best, sometimes these rules go a little over his head, and if he doesn't agree with them, he might not always listen or remember them. He doesn't always understand why he can't hunt where he wants, or why there needs to be so much fighting between the groups. Kotik can be incredibly passive, letting life slip by and not wanting to get too involved in all the mess of the strange cats of the forest.
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description.

Kotik is a slightly larger than average sized cat. He has lovely white fur with patches of brown tabby fur on the bridge of his nose, on his ears and the back of his head, as well as a large patch on his back and a fully brown tabby tail. Kotik has friendly yellow eyes, much like the demeanor of his body as a whole. He does not carry himself with self-importance or self-indulgence, but often holds his tail high in a friendly manner to show those around him that he means no harm. Even his ears are often upright, only laying flat when he is hunting and needs to keep his entire body low, but otherwise does his best to keep an open and positive body language so that he might not be misconstrued as trying to bring danger to any cat.
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family.

"Mama" - Mother (status unknown) [break]
"Malyshka"/"Sestra" - Sister
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history.

Kotik was born in a faraway land, surrounded by tall stone dens on cobblestone streets to a nameless she-cat, alongside his sister. He and his sister were never formally named by their mother, as most cats where they were from never had proper names, but the names that they went by were more akin to nicknames. Kotik's name is more a term of endearment like "little kitten", and his sister was often called Malyshka, a term of endearment meaning "baby girl". The nicknames stuck though, being the best that the two had to call each other outside of just calling one another Brat meaning "brother" or Sestra meaning "sister", which they often defaulted to. Their mother taught them how to get food from the twolegs - or lyudi, as their mother called them - by begging at their doorsteps and in the alleyways. The food was sometimes merely kibble, and other times was leftovers of good lyudi food.
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When the pair were around twelve moons old, Malyshka had led her brother to what she thought was a gold mine of food, only for her to get caught in a steel trap of sorts. Kotik watched his sister get carted off, crying after her brother. He didn't want to get caught himself, but he didn't know when he would see her again, and knew that the lyudi were setting up another cage to try and catch him. So, he followed his sister so they could stay together.
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Kotik and Malyshka were taken care of in a den for some time, but one night were given strange food that made them much drowsier than usual. When kotik woke up, he found himself in a strange little carrying cart inside of a monster. All kotik could really remember when trying his best to see out of the monster were that he could see trees rather than the large stone dens. The landscape was dramatically different from what he had been raised with, and everything smelled different and off.
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It was at this point that Kotik and Malyshka were brought into the den that was evidently meant to be their new home. Though they had adjusted fine in their first den, everything about this one was different and difficult to understand. Malyshka did much better than Kotik did, as he would often find himself looking out the windows at the unfamiliar paths and terrain. He found himself deeply missing not just home, but the outside world in general. He simply did not feel suited to a life indoors, no matter how soft and cozy it was and no matter how often he was given free food. While he was happy to see Malyshka thrive, he found himself wanting to break free of the strange boundaries set in place.
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With that, Kotik devised a plan. During the night, when the lyudi were asleep, he began to rip away at a strange netting in an open basement window. After a quarter-moon, he was finally to make a hole big enough to escape through. Kotik asked Malyshka to come with him, but she declined, explaining how happy she was to no longer have to scrounge for food and to always have a warm bed. So, Kotik promised that he would visit his sister often, a promise which he has never faltered on. He always visits in the night so the lyudi will not catch him again, but has begun to attempt to adapt to the new world around him and the strange "wild" cats who he's met.
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other.

For more human terms of an explanation: Kotik is based off a similar story to a cat I had myself, who was born in Egypt and was part of a rescue program that brought street cats from countries with large street cat populations to a place that they could get a forever home, such as here in Canada! In this case, Kotik is from an equivalent to Russia, but would have been part of a similar program.

[attr="class","nodensright22"]

basic bio.

A large cat with long dark brown tabby fur, Goatstripe is quiet and observant. He is good-natured and well-intentioned, though he struggles with a saviour complex from his past of being seen as lesser due to being the runt of his litter. They want to become better than their grandfather thought was possible for them, no matter the means of which they must go through to obtain this. Struggling with their place in the world, they would not consider themselves a loner, but a member of OrchidClan simply trying to find their way home. That is, if home is the place he wants to return to.

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traits.

• +intelligent
• +observant
• +compassionate
• =intuitive
• =emotional
• =focused
• -compulsive
• -careless
• -vindictive

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personality.

Goatstripe has always been a rather perceptive cat, noticing things even since he was a kit. His observation skills, along with his intellect, often means that very little manages to get past him when he's focused in on the world around him. With his skills, it often makes him quite compassionate to those who he feels needs his help, which can come across as a bit of a hero complex, but he certainly doesn't think of it that way. He simply wants to help those who perhaps cannot help themselves, and his intentions are good.[break]
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That being said, while he can be focused, sometimes his focus can become tunnel-visioned. His compassion can often escalate to being overly emotional, and even vindictive and compulsive. His emotions have been known to focus in on one individual who he feels is wrong for this world, and he will not stop until he feels that others are safe from them, piling on to his saviour complex. Naturally, he does not see himself as a saviour, and can be rather humble and put himself in the background when it comes to it.[break]
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Perhaps in a different world, Goatstripe would have grown up to simply be a kind cat. He would not be emotional, careless and vindictive, setting himself out to get revenge on those who he feels have wronged himself or others. But that is not where his story has led him.

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description.

Despite being the runt of his litter, Goatstripe is still much larger than the average cat thanks to the genes of his family. Still, the pressure over the fact that he was seen as "small" by his family members often means that he carries himself to seem even larger than he already is.[break]
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Goatstripe has long, brown and black tabby fur. As his name suggests, the stripes along his fur stand out even amongst his long fur. On his chin, chest and paws he carries contrasting white patches. His eyes are a rather dulcet shade of yellow. His large ears end with small tufts of brown fur, and his fur often seems rather shaggy, no matter how much he tries to keep his fur clean and smooth.

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family.

Marigoldbreath - Mother[break]
Bullwasp - Father[break]
Ramhorn - Brother[break]
Sheepcloud - Sister[break]
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Bisonstorm - Paternal Grandfather[break]
Curlflower - Paternal Grandmother

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history.

Marigoldbreath and Bullwasp's litter were not born with the usual fanfare and celebration that came with the birth of most kits. All three were strong and healthy, but that was not the problem when it came to Goatkit and his littermates, Ramkit and Sheepkit. Even from a rather young age, Goatkit could tell that his litter's birth was not from love and a desire to expand a family, but from what was likely seen as a necessity. Unfortunately for the runt, he would not be seen as part of this plan.[break]
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The kits were somewhat sheltered in their kithood. They were not to leave the nursery unless under extremely strict supervision, and they met with very few cats outside of their parents, the medicine cat, and any other queens or kits in the nursery at the time of their early life. Other than that, their kithood was as normal as it could be under such odd circumstances. It would turn out to be the most normal part of their lives as they began to grow.[break]
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As an apprentice, Goatpaw was assigned to a warrior by the name of Maplenose. Unfortunately for Goatpaw, Maplenose was often distracted during their training sessions, having recently become lovestruck and obsessed with their new mate, as well as their moving into the nursery. This meant that when Goatpaw was suddenly being pulled aside for extra training sessions, Maplenose was none the wiser. They had no inkling of Goatpaw being pulled aside by his grandfather, Bisonstorm, alongside Rampaw and Sheep-paw for extra work. It did not take long for Goatpaw to realize that this was exactly why Bullwasp and Marigoldbreath had worked so hard to keep the kits isolated from the rest of the Clan when he saw the way Bisonstorm often looked at the apprentices - or rather, the way that he did not look at Goatpaw and the way he looked at Rampaw and Sheep-paw individually.[break]
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Goatpaw was clearly not the favoured of the apprentices. Instead, he felt rather ignored when he watched Bisonstorm focus on Rampaw, and when Bullwasp even pulled aside Rampaw for extra conversations after each of these training sessions.[break]
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At first, the training sessions were managable. They were often more about the kind of cats that Bisonstorm expected the three of them to grow up to be. They were about strength and being the best pure-blood cats that OrchidClan could be given, though it was clear that these words were not often directed towards Goatpaw.[break]
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When Bullwasp was no longer attending the training sessions, instead spending time with his own apprentice, the sessions became harsher. When they became individual, and Goatpaw was working one-on-one with Bisonstorm, they often became brutal. Not only being the runt of the litter, but still being only an apprentice, it did not take much for Bisonstorm to very often overwhelm Goatpaw and pin him, using claws and physical discipline when he did not meet his grandfather's expectations. It seemed to Goatpaw that no one cared to notice. His father was too busy working with his own apprentice, and even Goatpaw's own mentor, Maplenose, was now hyperfocused on their new kits to realize that the scars the apprentice was gaining were not from their personal training sessions, but from secret ones on the side. When Goatpaw returned to the camp bleeding, and Bisonstorm returned to the camp seemingly squeaky clean, no one blinked an eye.[break]
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But Goatpaw saw what was happening. As the moons passed, he could see the way that Bisonstorm looked at the smallest of the three. He saw him as a burden, and a shame on his bloodline. Goatpaw could feel the tom's eyes tearing into him even in his nightmares, and feared what the senior warrior wanted most of all. He feared that deep down, that if Goatpaw did not meet his expectations, he would rather see his own grandson dead than a failure.[break]
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Despite the difficult apprenticehood, Goatpaw earned his warrior name: Goatstripe. Meanwhile, he watched as his own brother was given the warrior name Ramhorn. A name to highlight his strength and courage in comparison to Goatstripe's name highlighting his fur pattern. But that was not what Goatstripe was most worried about, and he never harboured any ill will towards Ramhorn in particular for the fact that he was simply the largest of the three siblings. So, Goatstripe pulled his brother aside and told him of his newest fear, no longer worrying about the state of his own life, and instead mentioning his worry that Bisonstorm was going to force Sheepcloud into a relationship to have kits that perhaps were not in her near desires. While Goatstripe had no doubt that Sheepcloud would one day make a fine queen if that was what she so wished, he did not want to see his sister be forced into motherhood with someone she did not love the same way their parents did not love one another.[break]
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Admist these conversations, though, Goatstripe could wait no longer. He could not hold back from his fear that Bisonstorm likely wanted his grandson dead so he would not prove a failure to the family, and he did not want to wait too long before he forced Sheepcloud into some unloving relationship. So, he confronted Bisonstorm at the crags about everything. About how he would wash his paws with rotting berries after their training sessions so no one knew how he brutalized Goatstripe. The way he likely forced Bullwasp and Marigoldbreath together just so his own bloodline could prosper. The way he wanted to do the same to Sheepcloud. Unfortunately for Goatstripe, it did not take much for Bisonstorm to overpower the young warrior and send him over the edge. Goatstripe watched his grandfather at the top as his body fell, closing his eyes and waiting for StarClan to greet him.[break]
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Yet, that was not what happened next.[break]
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Instead, young Goatstripe awoke in a great deal of pain, unaware of where he had washed ashore. In fact, he was not on the shore whatsoever, and had been dragged into the den of a strange and handsome black tom by the name of Jasper. The loner told him that he had found him floating in the water and dragged him back, and had not been breathing at first but worked to get him alive again. Once he started coughing up water, he pulled Goatstripe back to his den to help him warm up.[break]
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After a few nights, Goatstripe was back on his feet once more, and was prepared to make his way home. Jasper asked if he could join his journey, saying that he already began to feel a kinship with Goatstripe and wanted to stay with him. A little flustered, Goatstripe all-too-readily agreed.[break]
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With each passing night, Goatstripe found himself sleeping closer and closer to Jasper, curling up with one another for warmth even when the nights weren't so cold. Jasper was caring and constantly making sure that Goatstripe did not push himself. At the same time, Goatstripe found himself still having nightmares about his grandfather and seeing the image of him watching his own grandson fall to his presumed death. He still found himself deeply preoccupied in thinking about what he was going to do when he finally saw his grandfather, and how he would take his life the same way that he stole the lives of his own kin and tried to kill Goatstripe. He found himself fearful that when he finally returned to OrchidClan, he would find that Sheepcloud was in the nursery when she was not ready to do that. He worried about what state he would find Ramhorn in.[break]
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As Goatstripe and Jasper journeyed on, getting closer to the place that Goatstripe called home and looking forward to perhaps introducing Jasper into his family, disaster struck. They were coming closer to the twoleg town outside Goatstripe's home, but clearly passed the den of the wrong twoleg, who sent out their dog after the two cats. As they were running, a loud noise rung through the air, and Goatstripe turned to find Jasper bleeding out of one of his hind legs, unable to move. He was still alive, and clearly in agony, and while Goatstripe desperately wanted to stay and help the tom, he screamed at him to run before the dog caught up. While he argued and even tried to help Jasper move, he was clearly in too much pain with every step. In the end, Goatstripe was forced to run and leave the tom behind, guilt heavily weighing on him as he thought about the fact that Jasper had helped Goatstripe escape death, but he could not do the same.[break]
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The next day, Goatstripe returned to the territory which he recognized, ready to face his grandfather and see an end to the story.